Mark Duffield’s thumbs-up and thumbs-down from AFL round 21

Liam Ryan takes an absolute screamer

The West Australian

VideoWATCH. Leapin' Liam Ryan has put his name forward for mark of the year with this towering pack mark against Port on Saturday.

Thumbs Up

David Myers: 29 disposals, two goals, seven inside-50s, five tackles. Myers is 29 and has played just 114 games, the legacy of a series of injuries and other well documented Essendon mishaps. But he is 191cm, big and strong and fast and could yet have his best footy in front of him. The Bombers may be too late but they are still coming.

Hawthorn: You wouldn’t think the team that has won four of the last ten flags could sneak up on the top four but that is what the Hawks have done. They have won five of their last six now to be one of the form teams. They have St Kilda and Sydney ahead. We doubt Alastair Clarkson at our peril. Clearly the master coach of the modern era.

Jack Riewoldt: Has gone from precocious to precious in the last two seasons. Kicked 10 against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday but it is his team oriented play that really sets him at a new level. Leads the Coleman race now and has genuine universal respect in the AFL these days.

Camera IconA perfect 10.Picture: Getty Images

Luke Shuey: Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo may have had better seasons but I am not sure anyone can quite get to the level Shuey can get to when he lights up. His second half on Saturday against Port Adelaide was something to behold and he finished with 11 clearances to go with 31 disposals as the Eagles pinched one and all but secured a top two berth.

Jaidyn Stephenson: Jordan De Goey’s four goals from 12 disposals were critical to Collingwood’s win against Brisbane. So were Stephenson’s 25 and two. One of the favourites for the Rising Star award and has had one hell of a season in a team that continues to defy its injuries.

Lachie Whitfield: Thirty disposals and a marathon of run in GWS’s hard fought win against Adelaide in Canberra. One of his with the flight of the ball efforts was simply superb at a time in the final term when the game was still on the line. Class player.

Lachie Hunter, Caleb Daniel, Jack Macrae and Marcus Bontempelli: They had 159 disposals between them as the Bulldogs caused a boilover and took the Roos out of likely finals contention. Bontempelli added two goals to the carnage. Roos coach Brad Scott would have been tearing his hair out.

Alex Johnson: Glass nine tenths empty or one tenth full? I have decided for the positive spin here. After five knee reconstructions and six years out, Johnson made it back for two games and one memorable win before his knees failed him for what will almost certainly be the last time. Has a flag and if success is dragging every last possible bit out of your career Johnson has had a successful career. Take a bow mate. The Swans do not go quietly into the night and they tipped the Dees on their backsides yesterday.

The Sydney defender has had to be carried off the field, with fears he has damaged an ACL for the sixth time in his career.

The West Australian

VideoThe Sydney defender has had to be carried off the field, with fears he has damaged an ACL for the sixth time in his career.

Alex Pearce and Charlie Curnow: Loved the battle between Mundy and Cripps and loved Lachie Neale’s third quarter but the duel between Pearce and Charlie Curnow was worth watching too. Pearce got the young Carlton star under control after half time but Curnow still kicked two great goals and narrowly missed a third.

Thumbs Down

Nathan Brown: Way late and high in his hit on Adam Saad on Friday night and rightly sent straight to the tribunal. Brown has been a good honest player over his career but this was a sad misjudgement and it took Saad out of the game with concussion. It looks like four weeks.

Geelong: Why is a team that has Ablett, Joel Selwood, Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan and Tom Hawkins scrambling to make the eight? The Cats came late at the Hawks but they have too much talent to be as low on the ladder as they are. Would be a major fail if they don’t make it.

Camera IconChris Scott’s men are in trouble.Picture: Getty Images

Port Adelaide: We have to acknowledge the lack of luck for the Power – Charlie Dixon, Paddy Ryder and Dan Houston went down in the space of five minutes as they nursed a handy lead. But composure was not a word you could associate with the last two minutes. Umpteen mistakes and decisional errors added up to the second heartbreaking loss in as many weeks. Finals are on the line now.

Taylor Walker: Didn’t see much of the ball in Canberra and then probably took himself out of this week’s game with a dangerous tackle that concussed Josh Kelly. Tex has had a season to forget as has his club. The Crows are out of the race now.

Melbourne: Could the Dees actually miss again? They have a club defining match against West Coast in Perth next weekend after stumbling against Sydney yesterday. Then they finish off against the Giants. That club singalong in Adelaide a couple of weeks back might have been a little premature.

Matt Kreuzer’s heart: The second time this has flared this year. A major concern for an AFL player given the physical demands placed on them. The Blues were right to pull Kreuzer out yesterday after realising there was an irregularity.

Injuries generally: The second week in a row where injuries have played a major role in games. The Power were down to 19 as were GWS and Essendon. Heath Shaw might be gone for the year, ditto Michael Walters – although the Dockers won’t be playing in September. Have a nasty feeling injuries are going to have a major say in the outcome next month.